I put screen protectors on regular ereaders. Nook Glowlight says not to, because of light guide layer. How about PaperWhite? Will the light guide layer be damage? (I put protector over Sony PRS-900, which has a touch layer, performance was not affected. So I assume Kindle touch layer works the same way. )

I put a protector on mine and it works flawlessly. I'm careful with my electronics, but my rule is that if I'd "cry" over a scratch or any other cosmetic damage, it gets a screen protector and a case.

My phone on the other hand, is a painfully cheap feature phone. I've been plotting its death for years, never put it in a case or used a screen protector, and the D#%$ thing still works perfectly. It's just taunting me, knowing how much I don't like it, but I just can't justify buying another one until this one breaks!

I would say no to adding another layer between your eyes and the text.
Besides, the PW screen has a very nice texture, has no glare, and resists fingerprints very well. A screen "protector" would cost you all of those advantages.
And it would cost you money.

I would say no to adding another layer between your eyes and the text.
Besides, the PW screen has a very nice texture, has no glare, and resists fingerprints very well. A screen "protector" would cost you all of those advantages.
And it would cost you money.

PW seems to have a harder and more scratch-resistant screen surface than previous Kindles. I don't think a screen protector is the way to go, it is unlikely to prevent a cracked screen if someone steps on your Kindle or something like that. And it can only reduce clarity of the text.

^ back in the days of the resistive (?) touch screens, they were potecting my devices from the sharp stylus and my fingernail, that I used to use when there was no stylus at hand. Nowadays....maybe cat claws if you have one? My dog has jumped up on my poor kindle screens a few times and there was never a scratch, so it may be a cat thing....

And back in the PDA days way before Gorilla glass a lot of guys would carry their PDAs in the same pants pocket as their keys, and ladies would often carry them in their purse. Those early devices had inferior glass compared to what is used today, so they could scratch easily.

^ back in the days of the resistive (?) touch screens, they were potecting my devices from the sharp stylus and my fingernail, that I used to use when there was no stylus at hand. Nowadays....maybe cat claws if you have one? My dog has jumped up on my poor kindle screens a few times and there was never a scratch, so it may be a cat thing....

There were some reports that the Nook Glowlight was easily damaged by artificial fingernails, which can be very hard.

My Kindle Touch has a scratch that appeared the first day I got it. Never figured out how it happened. So that screen needs some protection.